Barra is located on North
Bank Region, district Lower Niumi at the mouth of the River Gambia in the
Atlantic Ocean, Barra Point. The town's claims to fame reside in the UNESCO
world heritage Fort Bullen, built to stop the flow to the Americas of slaves
captured by the locals and the Barra ferry dock. The ferry link to Banjul
is the busiest on the River Gambia, carrying not only Gambian passengers
and trade, but also central to the commerce between north and south Senegal.
There are no bridges spaning the river Gambia.

The predominant languages of are Serer
and Wolof. The name of the town stems from the Portuguese word "Barra",
meaning the geological formation that can occur in river estuaries due
to the accumulation of alluvial material parallel to the coast.